Heartbroken
by Angel-Princess666
Summary: Set in modern day Chicago, Toya falls in love with a sarcastic and sassy red head.  When they become serious about one another can he bear to tell her his true secret
1. Chapter 1

Heartbroken

She ran as quickly as she could, her feet pounding one over the other heavily on the pavement underneath her. She cursed under her breath as shoulder length red hair flew into her blazing crystal blue eyes, causing her contacts to sting and water up. Another curse spewed from her plump lips because she did not want the people on the bus to think she was in any way crying. An 'oof' interrupted the curse as the heavy backpack that was slung over her shoulders beat her hard on the back; she felt as if her heart had just burst through her vast chest cavity.

"I hate buses!" she screamed loudly enough to catch an awkward stare from the people she ran past. She yelled again, "I hate school!"

Flat heel black boots hit the pavement uncomfortably as she rounded the corner and sent shooting pain through her legs. The pain, as much as she would have loved to stop, failed to stop her. The bus was already at her stop and she _needed_ to catch it. She came to a halting and painful stop just as the doors closed to the bus. Yelping, the red head beat on the doors with her fist until the driver opened them. From behind a tall rider who was paying his fees, she heard the bus driver speak.

"Next time I ain't openin' the door," came the gruff and annoyed voice. She bounded up the stairs as the doors closed and the bus lurched forward. As it lurched, she lost her balance and fell forward. To her luck, the man in front of her had turned just fast enough to catch her around the waist. Unfortunately for the both of them, her momentum carried them downward onto the floor. The bus driver hollered, "Hey! Get int'a seat already!"

"If you didn't drive so fucking fast we could have!" she hollered back rudely. The driver shook his head, but said nothing, his gaze scanning back to the road. The red haired girl returned her attention to the guy that she happened to be sitting on. All that she caught was the intensely sad emerald eyes that stared pointlessly up at her. They were the saddest eyes that she had ever laid sight upon and just looking at them made her heart leap slightly into her throat. "Hi. Sorry."

He grunted, but said nothing as she climbed to her feet.

"You okay?" she asked.

"Perfect," he mumbled, standing and wiping the dust from his black slacks and sweater. "And you? Are you all right?"

"Thanks to you I am… no offense, but you made a good cushion," she smiled wryly. The two old ladies in their seats beside the isle grinned at the cute young couple.

"I said sit down!" the driver snapped loudly, his voice deep and choppy. "Get a move on!"

"Hey! We'll sit down when we want to sit down dammit!" the red haired young girl whirled on one heel to glare at him through his rearview mirror. "Leave us alone!"

When she turned around to apologize the young man had disappeared. Almost disappointed yet still fuming with over the damned driver, she sat in the only vacant seat next to a elderly woman who appeared to have no clue as to why she had gotten onto the bus in the first place let alone where she was really headed.

Today was definitely and most certainly, not one of her good days. With sheer annoyance, she stumbled down the steps to the subway with the crowd, trying not to be beaten alive by the harshness of it. Once again, she was late for her means of transportation to school and she was beginning to think that she should just turn around and ditch the day. With a shake of her head, she bounded off the last step and began to try to weave her way through the crowd to her platform.

She managed to make it there just as the doors opened to let the lingering crowd in. Being the petite young woman that she was, she was easy bait in the crowd. She tried desperately to stand her ground, but her efforts were fruitless. She was carried away into a car that she preferably did not want to enter because it did not have the seat that she had, when she was bored, written her name on the underside of the seat. It was her favorite spot out of all seven cars and she wanted to be in car two not in car five, but it would have seemed that she had not choice.

A loud yelp expelled forward from her throat as she was pushed roughly against a soft surface.

"You bastard!" she shouted at the person who had pushed her. Strong arms held her in place as the crowd began to move again. She was about to protest, but when she turned around to do so, she found herself looking up into the same sad emerald eyes that she had seen on the bus. Suddenly, car five did not seem as terrible as she thought it was going to be.

"Hello," he murmured, holding her upright against the surge of the crowd.

"Hi."

"You really should learn to take better care of yourself of you may be hurt," he warned her. The doors closed behind them and they found themselves standing. Without thinking, he grabbed a bar with one hand and wrapped the other around her waist, pulling her firm to his chest so as she would not fall. For a long moment she hid her face in the warmth of his sweater as to hide the fire that was running a trail up her neck and into her cheeks. Ignoring her embarrassment, he asked, "What is your name?"

"Sharon, but I prefer to go by Shay," she responded, taking time to take in his entire being. Crimson red hair fell short of his neck, short in the back and thick and long on the top. The edges touched the brim of his long lashes. He had high cheekbones, a slightly pointed nose, and fair skin that appeared flawless. He was so tall that the top of her head just barely reached his slender shoulders. He was built solid in the way that she knew he was strong and could have easily stood his own ground, but his body was soft and warm as if he would have made the world's perfect living teddy bear. She blushed heavily for thinking such thoughts. "You are?"

"Toya, my name is Toya," he said in silky and luscious voice that was filled with as much sadness as his eyes were. She wanted so badly to ask him why she was so sad, but knew that she should not so she refused to say a thing.

"So. Where are you headed?" Shay asked instead, changing her train of thought.

"Downtown."

"Really?" she was surprised even though she knew where the train was headed. "Me, too. I'm going down to UIC. How about you? Do you go to school downtown?"

"I am out of school. I live by Lake Michigan."

"Wow…" she let out a low whistle. "That's expensive property. Are you rich?"

"Hardly," Toya offered up. His gaze was intense on her as he asked, "Why do you ask so many questions?"

"Um… well…" Shay stuttered over the syllables in the words as she tried to think quickly. She sort of glanced downward at their situation and then mumbled, "I'll stop. Sorry."

The subway lurched to its first stop and Toya pulled her closer to him as she started to fall over. People bustled in and out of the train car around them, as Toya remained attached to Shay's hip and the hold-on bar above him. She buried her face into his chest to make sure that he could not see the blush that had crept up from her neck into the base of her cheeks. No amount of make-up could hide the intensely pink flush in her cheeks. She could not begin to explain the bubbling feeling that was welling up inside of her. She tried to push it aside, but it just would not leave her alone.

The rest of the train ride remained in silence between the two awkwardly situated young people. Several times, Shay tried to strike up a conversation, but found that her voice was lost in her throat. She could not figure out if it was the seriousness of his nature or the beauty in his looks, but something about him intimidated her.

"Will…" she started. He looked down at her expectantly. Lost for words, she diverted her gaze shyly, the intensity of his gaze scaring her thought away.

"Yes?" Toya prompted quietly.

"Will you be here tomorrow?"

"No, just today," he whispered, his eyes far away as his thoughts began to drift to a private topic that she would never be a part of; her lips for a quite circle.

"Oh…" she tried staring over her shoulder to see if she could picture what he was staring at. The red head looked down into her sapphire eyes with a smile that did not skim the surface of his emerald ones. She blushed slightly under the smile, but was curious to find out what kept the smile from touching his eyes.

"Is that a problem?" he questioned with interest.

"No… not really…" Shay responded. He smiled and reached into the pocket of her jacket. Before she could protest, he took out her razor phone and flipped it open. He smirked at the picture of Ariel from the Little Mermaid as her home screen. With a raised eyebrow he showed it to her. "Don't laugh. It was a thing with the girls at my old college."

"I am not saying a thing," he nodded. Without a word, he figured out her text messaging and sent a message to someone. "There… now I have your phone number and you have mine. Is that better?"

Shay shook her head up and down, sending her spiked hair flying into her face. Not thinking, Toya reached down and brushed the stray strands from her temple. The motion left his knuckles trailing down her cheeks, sending a rush of heat over her entire body. He smiled again as the train rushed to its seventh stop.

"This is where I have to get off," he told her gently while he let her back on her own feet. Toya walked to the door and gave her another smile… _a wary smile_, she thought to herself. That was the kind of smile that he had. It was a sad and tired smile as if life was wearing him out. He cocked his head in her direction, "Good bye."

"Good bye…" she practically shouted, but the door was already closed and he was already heading up the stairs and out of the subway. "…good bye…"

* * *

Her cell phone jingled noisily in the middle of the night, waking her from a light slumber as it demanded her attention.

" 'ello…?" she grumbled into the phone.

"Have you looked outside?" the smooth voice asked on the other end. It took her a moment to even comprehend the words that whoever he was said.

"Huh?"

"I said have you looked outside?"

"Who the fuck is this?" she snarled, rolling over in her large bed and staring at the emptiness next to her. She longed for someone to be there to fill it up for her.

"My name is Toya and we met on the subway train."

"Toya… Toya…" she lulled the name in her mind, attempting to remember the name. It came back to her as the red head from the bus and train over a week ago. He had taken quite some time to get back to her. "Oh…. hello."

"Hello. Did I wake you?" he asked from the other end. His voice came across amused and intrigued at her sleepiness.

"What do you think?" she grumbled harshly. His laughter came over the other end melodically. She growled once more and seriously contemplated hanging up the phone. "Is there something that you wanted?"

"Yes… look out the window of your apartment."

"How did you know I lived in an apartment?"

"Do not ask… just look."

"Uhm…" she rolled over and stared at the edge of her bed. _I don wanna…_ she thought to herself as she slowly moved her weary body toward the end of the bed. Shay winced as her bare feet touched the cold wood floor and the chilled air kissed her mostly bare skin. She mentally took a note to stop wearing t-shirts to bed and to start wearing real pajamas. Her feet padded quietly over to the window, where she pulled back black curtains and stared out at the park across from her apartment. "What… am I staring at?"

"Look up," he commanded of her over the fuzzy line. She did.

"Oh… my God…" her voice was caught in her throat as she gazed up at the diamond speckled sky. Everywhere she turned her head all she saw was the crystal stars folded neatly in a blanket of darkness. The luminous moon left the pond of the park sparkling in waves of silver light. Shay whispered, "It's beautiful…"

"Do you like it?" Toya asked with genuine curiosity.

"Do I like it?" she repeated. A bright smile lit up her face as she closed the curtain. In her mind's eye she pictured him in the room, grinning at her with that sad smile. Something crossed her face, a shadow of sorts, as she thought about how sad his eyes were. She slid down the wall, the curtain draping over her shoulders like a velvet blanket. "I love it. Thank you."

"You are most welcome," she could almost hear the sad smile in his voice once again. "Go get some sleep. Good night, angel."

Before she could respond the same to him the other line went dead. She could not help but wonder what had possessed him to call her on this night. Nor could she help but wonder why and how he knew where she lived. Was it possible that he had been following her? If so, _how rude! _The least he could have done was make himself known to her. It was not like she would bit him… at least not that hard.

* * *

The next morning, while she showered, he called again. Due to being soaked from head to toe, she was unable to grab the phone in time. Moments passed and her phone vibrated again. He had left a message. Eagerly, she listened to it.

"Hello, Shay, this is Toya. I wanted to apologize for calling you so late last night. I honestly did not think you to be the type of girl who would go to sleep so early. Again, I apologize for calling you so late. If you are up for it I would like to invite you to a late breakfast. Seeing as how you still have not answered the phone, I hope you get this message. If you do meet me here…" he rattled off directions to some restaurant. Shay scrambled quickly for a piece of paper and a pen. Listening to the message again, she wrote down the instructions and stared at them because they meant nothing to her. At the end of the message he said, "If you feel like you will get lost, let me know and I will come pick you up."

She dialed the number that she had written down on the other side of the sheet of paper. The phone rang several times.

"Hello?" his smooth voice came over the other end. She hung up the phone without a second thought about it.

"Fuck…" she swore quietly as she stared at the phone. Almost at once it began to vibrate in her hand. She squealed and tossed it onto the bed, knowing it was him who was calling. With another loud squeal, she threw herself stomach first onto the bed and scrambled for the phone. Breathlessly, "Hello?"

"Hello," Toya said with a slight laugh. Her bare legs swung in the air with excitement like a girl who was experiencing a phone call from a boy for the first time in her life.

"Hi, how are you?" she asked as if nothing had just occurred between them. She refused to acknowledge that she had indeed just hung up on him.

"Perfect except for a little confused as to why you hung up on me," he replied smoothly. She grimaced as she tried to come up with a good excuse as to why she did what she did. She had nothing.

"I really don't know _what_ you are talking about," Shay resorted to faking it.

"Really?" came the skepticism.

"Honestly."

"Of course," again with the skepticism. "How are you?"

She pondered an intelligent and mysterious answer because she did not want to come across as a plain Jane.

"Fresh," was what she settled for.

"Fresh?" he questioned.

"Yes, fresh. Do you have a problem with that?" Shay demanded with mock anger.

"No, of course not. However, I will admit that it is a bit strange…" his voice trailed off as he spoke. She covered her mouth to hide a short burst of laughter. Indeed it was strange, but at that moment, it was all that had entered her mind. Now that she thought about, she wished that she could have come up with something a little more _intellectual_ to say. He seemed the sort that always would have something intelligent and smart to say; that is, if he decided to say anything at all.

"Yeah… it was a bit strange, wasn't it?" she laughed out loud and offered a wide smile that, unfortunately, he could not see. "Okay, I'm doing just fine. Thank you very much."

"You are most welcome."

"You are far too polite, you know that."

"I try my best to be."

"Why bother so much?" she found herself asking when she really should not have cared. In fact, she should have been pleased to hear that he was such a polite gentleman.

"Because," came the vague answer. He said nothing more on the topic.

"Well, what's this about a late breakfast?" she continued after realizing that she was going to get no more out of him on the previous topic.

"Yes, seeing as how you have called me, do you feel like you will get lost?" he asked innocently, though the underlying mocking tone was apparent to her.

"Probably. I don't know the city very well."

"Would you like me to pick you up?"

"Well, now that we're on the topic, would you mind telling me just exactly _how_ you know where I live," she stipulated in a slightly harsh tone. The fact that he knew so much about her whereabouts bothered her immensely.

"Because…"

"Because is not an answer. Not for this it isn't."

"Well, if you must know, I was curious where someone like you lived."

"Someone… like me?" Shay repeated slowly, mulling the words in her head. "Just what the hell is that supposed to mean."

"Well, I was curious as to knowing where someone as exuberant as yourself lived so I followed you home one day."

"What day?"

"Tuesday."

"Tuesday?"

"Yes, Tuesday."

"Why Tuesday?"

"Because I happen to like the day Tuesday."

"Why do you like the day Tuesday?"

"Because I find Tuesday to be erotic."

The answer made her reel in response. A gasp stuck in the back of her throat along with another bout of laughter.

"You're serious, aren't you…"

"Of course I am not serious!" Toya replied with exasperation. "I merely said it to get your attention. You are being ridiculous did you know that? What does it matter what day and why I picked that day to follow you. I just did."

"Well… it mattered to me."

"_Mattered_ as in past tense."

"Yes _mattered_ because it stopped mattering to me after I found out that _you_ think a day of the week is erotic!" she teased.

"Oh, stop that, I do not."

"Oh, yes you do!"

"Enough about this, what about breakfast?"

"I don't know… is this a date?"

The line responded with pure and golden silence. She mentally cursed herself for thinking such a thing. Of course he would not mean it to be a date. _Dammit! Dammit_

Finally, "Was that a line?"

She burst out in laughter, a long and genuine bout of real laughter that she had not let out of her in a long time. It took her several minutes before Shay was able to regain control of herself and recompose her serene stature.

"You think a day of the week is erotic and you make fun of _me_ for using a line on you?!" she demanded ludicrously. She could not help the small laughter that forced itself through her lips.

"I do not think a day of the week is erotic!" he snapped harshly. She chuckled and he scowled at the other end.

"Yes you do and you're laughing at me."

"I am not laughing at you. I merely asked a question: was that a line?"

"And if it was?"

"That is fine by me."

"Fine, then it's a date!" Shay exclaimed. He huffed on the other end.

"Well fine, if you insist!"

"Oh, but you don't want it to be a date?"

"Yes I want it to be a date!"

"But you said only if I insist."

"I never said the word _only_," he explained very slowly as if he was speaking to a child.

"No you didn't but you implied it," she countered just as slowly and arrogantly.

"Oh, will you stop being so impish!"

That shut her up in her tracks as she mulled over the word _impish_. _Did he really just say impish?_ she asked herself.

"Did you just say impish?" she questioned softly.

"Possibly, why?"

"Oh nothing, I'll see you in an hour," she hung up the phone, quietly laughing to herself. Staring at her dark room she said to herself, "Did he really just say _impish_?"

A moment later her phone vibrated again and this time it was a text message from him reading:

WEAR SOMETHING NICE…

What the hell did she have to wear that was nice that she could wear to breakfast? Desperation began to eat away at her. She threw herself on the bed after her phone and scrambled to dial her friend Megan's phone number. As soon as Megan answered, she cried out,

"Help me!"


	2. Chapter 2

Heartbroken

Chapter Two

An hour later, after major help from Megan, Shay stood dressed in a pair of white pants, roped sandals, and an aquamarine halter top. Megan had applied make-up lightly on her face: shadow on her lids and blush on her cheeks. To add to the simple look, Megan had gently tousled her red hair so it framed her face perfectly. She stood outside her apartment, waiting impatiently for him to pull up and curiously wondered what kind of car he would be driving. The loud roaring of an engine caught her attention and ignited her interest. A sapphire blue Corvette raced around the corner and came to a lightning stop in front of her. Toya reached over and opened the door for her.

"Jesus Christ, you are rich!" she exclaimed as she climbed in next to him. She squealed as she almost shut the door on her sandaled foot.

"Not entirely," came the similar response. She whistled at the leather interior as she ran her hand over the console. Apparently he was rich if he could afford an apartment downtown by the Lake and a Corvette as well. And apparently he did not like to talk about it or even admit to it, either. He pulled away from the side of the curb and sped away. "How are you this morning?"

"Fresh," she answered, throwing her nose in the air. He laughed, reached over, and tousled her red hair affectionately. "Hey! I just fixed my hair."

"I know," Toya said with a small smile. From behind the sunglasses she had the sense that his eyes were still saddened. She bit her tongue and stared out the window, desperately wanting to ask him why he was sad. He asked, "Is something wrong?"

"No, not particularly."

"You look like you want to say something," he observed smartly. Shay nodded. "Well, go ahead. Ask me."

"No, it's nothing."

"Yes it is. Obviously something is bothering you. Feel free to ask me anything," he informed her with another small smile. She sighed and gave into his sweet nature.

"Are you sad?" Shay asked bluntly. Turning in her seat, she stared at him while waiting for an answer. He pondered it for a minute before responding.

"No, I am not. What gave you that idea?"

"Oh, nothing. It was just a question," she flopped back into her seat, facing forward and flustered. She really wanted to know what made his eyes look so puppy dog sad, but obviously he was not going to be telling her the truth any time soon. Either that, or he really was not sad and just had naturally sad looking eyes. She was betting on the first over the latter.

* * *

The restaurant overlooked Lake Michigan with a small veranda for customers to sit on. It was a small place that was elegantly decorated. Toya sat down across from her, smoothing down the front his emerald dress shirt as he did so. He had already helped her carefully into her seat. A smile graced his lips as a waitress came to bring them menus and glasses of water.

"May I get you anything else to drink?" the waitress asked hopefully, pushing her long black hair behind her ears. Shay arrogantly blew the hair from her eyes as the waitress flirted with Toya.

"I'm good with just water, thank you," she interrupted the flirting and batted her lashes serenely at Toya. He smiled once more and nodded in agreement.

"Thank you, but water is fine," he said. Almost sadly, the waitress sauntered away and stood at a good distance, waiting for the moment in which she could come back and assist him with his choice for a meal.

"She was flirting with you," Shay told him over the menu.

"Yes, I know that," was all he said about it. He looked over the menu, trying to decide on what he would like to eat. She took his silence as a fact that he was not going to discuss the issue further and decided to do the same.

"Everything is so… expensive," she murmured.

"Hm? Do not worry about it," Toya reassured her with another one of those smiles that she was starting to realize could make her weak in the knees.

"But—"

"I said, do not worry about it so do not worry about it, Shay," he told her sternly with a hard look that was probably harsher than he meant for it to be. She offered a meek grin and went back to the menu. In the end she settled for the fresh fruit plate while he had the endless minestrone soup with a side salad. Perhaps it was because they were both a bit nervous that they both decided to eat lightly. Either that or, like her, he did not want to make a heavy dent in his wallet.

"So…" she started, not quite sure where to go with the conversation. It was awkward to say the least because they had only seen each other once in their lives and talked twice since then.

"So," Toya repeated, setting his spoon down on the side of the plate underneath his soup bowl. "You go to University of Illinois at Chicago, correct?"

"Yes, I do."

"What are you studying?"

"Well," a smile overtook her face as she thought about what she wanted to do with her life. "I plan on being an English and Photography major. I want to go to graduate school for Journalism. I hope to do something with photo-journalism."

"Very admirable," he nodded and spooned a bit of soup into his mouth.

"What about you?" she questioned.

"I am done with school," he began. "I majored in International Business with a minor in Japanese. I graduated from University of Chicago."

"That's a good school," she made a face.

"What is the face for?" Toya raised an eyebrow and made his own face in response. "Is the food okay? If it is not I can get the waitress…"

"No, no! I like the fruit," she assured him. "It's absolutely amazing. I haven't had fruit this good in a long time. It's so sweet and perfect. Anyway, something is bothering me."

"What is it?"

"Will you be honest with me?" Shay met his steady gaze with her own serious one. He only nodded. "In truth, I just like to know, are you rich?"

He remained silent for a few minutes, just staring her down but she never adverted her eyes.

"Does it really matter that much to you?" Toya inquired softly, putting down his utensil.

"Well… not really, but this food… it's just so expensive and then your schooling and the Corvette and living at the Lake… it all costs so much…" she pointed out.

"Hardly," he smiled as her nose crinkled up in distaste.

"Can you ever give me a straight answer?"

"Of course not. Seriously, though, Shay, do not worry about it. You will be well taken care of. I promise that none of this is out of my price range. Can you settle for that?"

"I guess I can," Shay sighed in defeat. He smiled that smile and picked up his fork.

"Would you like to go out for dinner Friday night?" he asked in between bites of salad.

"Yes!" she practically exclaimed and almost spilled her drink down her shirt. She cursed quietly to herself. He just chuckled and took a sip of his water.

"At least that will not stain," he muttered. "So Friday it is."

"Yes, Friday," she agreed. She added in, "Not as erotic as Tuesday, but…"

"I could call you something very rude," Toya shot back.

"But you won't. You're too sweet for that," she gave him a big, fake smile and then let out a burst of laughter as he made his own face; one that made him look like he just swallowed a lemon.


	3. Chapter 3

Heartbroken

She lounged comfortably on her blue quilted bed, her chin resting on a fluffy black pillow. Red hair was splayed on the pillow. Thin legs kicked leisurely in the air like an excited child's. On the queen size bed at the headboard sat her friend Megan with a laptop resting on her knees. Megan pushed her auburn hair behind her ears and continued the conversation.

"So the princesses—us, of course—get blown where again?" she questioned, hands and fingers sitting on the keyboard.

"To different dimensions," Shay responded quietly. She sighed deeply and played with her painted fingernails.

"Okay, that is the fifth time you have sighed so far," Megan pointed out. "What is going on with you?"

"How did you know that you loved Numair?" the red head rolled onto her back. Megan's eyes lit up brightly. Carefully she set her white Mac on the nightstand and flopped on her belly next to her friend.

"Ooh! Boy talk!" she exclaimed. "I think it was the minute I laid eyes on that intense gaze. God. It was like—"

"—he could see straight into your soul," Shay finished for her.

"Yeah, how did you know?"

"I think I'm in love," the blue-eyed girl admitted.

"Ooh! Who is he?" Megan asked curiously. She loved a good romantic story. "What does he look like? Where did you meet him? C'mon, details, girlie! Details!"

Shay laughed and launched into her story.

"His name is Toya. I don't know his last name yet. I met him o the bus and then on the train on my way to school. I practically pummeled him both times."

"Leave it to you to hit a cute boy that you've just met—he is cute, right?" the auburn haired girl interrupted her own train of thought.

"I didn't physically hit him. I fell into him."

"Ooh la la! Is he cute?"

"… absolutely gorgeous!"

"Ooh! All the better! What does he look like? You're not being very generous on details here, Shay."

"You're not letting me talk is why," Shay scolded. "He's tall… like Numair tall. He has this red crimson hair that I just want to reach out and tangle my fingers in. It looks like silk; it's so luscious. He's pale—like mwah. And those eyes… he has these emerald eyes that are just so… heart wrenching to look at. He's so sad, Meg, and I can't figure out why. Arg! I want to know!"

"I feel like I should say something like, _there, there now sweetie,_" Megan's nose crinkled with her own confusion.

"You sound like my grandma," the red head informed her. Megan just chuckled merrily. "I just don't know, Meg. I don't understand how his eyes can look so sad."

"Well, why don't you just ask him?"

"Boldly? I already did."

"Really?! When?" the auburn haired girl asked curiously. She inched closer to Shay.

"On our date."

"What?! You had a date and you didn't even tell me?!" she gasped.

"Meg, seriously, when have we had time to talk to one another? You're _so _busy at Dominican and I'm so busy at UIC that we barely have time _to_ talk. Not to mention we both have six classes, you have Numair, I have family, you have family, yada, yada, yada," Shay answered dully. "You know the rest of the story."

"Yeah, life sucks—well except for my Numair. But, remember, we always have out stories!" Megan pointed out.

"True, true."

"So tell me about your date and more about Toya," the auburn haired girl pried lightly.

"He's rich, he lives along Lake Michigan, and I swear I think I love him. I can't seem to get him out of my head. I wake up and he's the first person I think about. Before I go to bed, he's the last thing I think about. We've only gone out on one date and I swear I think I love him."

"You've got it bad, girlie, you've got it bad."

"I know! And it is driving me crazy! I'm not supposed to be the one that falls this hard for a guy," she muttered, punching at the air with a closed fist. "I'm supposed to be the one who yells at you and Jenna for falling for the wrong guy and all that yada yada stuff."

"I have not fallen for the wrong guy," Megan pointed out.

"Hence why I haven't yelled at you," Shay retorted more harshly than she meant to. "No offense, but I'm actually kind of jealous of you and Jenna because you two have Numair and Riley but I have no one." 

"You might have Toya if all works out well."

"Yeah…"

"His name sounds familiar…"

"It does?"

"Yeah, it does but I have no idea from where…" she mused over the name _Toya_ as she tried to remember where she had heard it before. Nothing came to her. "Oh well. Not that big a deal. It's not like I heard his name on like America's Most Wanted or anything."

"_And tonight on America's Most Wanted, we go after Toya Something-Other-Or-What as he is _too_ nice to people… Whatcha gonna do when they come for you, bad boys… bad boys_," Shay sang obnoxiously. Megan hit her a tad too hard in the arm. "Ouch! That hurt! Jerk!"

"Bitch!"

They broke out into joined laughter.

"Hey! Oh! I just got an idea!" Megan breathed deeply.

"Yeah, you tend to get those and they're generally not that good."

"Hey!"

"Oh just admit it… you're ideas are like mine. They sound good at the time but they tend to fail later on."

"Yeah, we're good."

"Yeah, we are good."

"Anyway, Numair and I are going to the Great America tomorrow… you know they just opened the water park there. Well, you should bring Toya with and the four of us could double date…"

"Really?" Shay rolled over and looked at her curiously. "You would do that?"

"Yes."

"Yay!" the red head threw herself at her friend and hugged her tightly. "I love you. I love you!"


	4. Chapter 4

A/n-- I do not own Numair from Tamora Pierce's books, nor do I own Toya from Ayashi no Ceres. I do own Riley. And I am friends with Megan and Jenna seeing as how they are real people. Also, I do not own any of the Disney Princesses.

The next day came all too quickly as she rolled out of bed at six o'clock in the morning to get ready. Toya had only agreed to go to Great America if he got to take her out to breakfast again. Because of this reluctant agreement on her behalf, she had to get up twice as early in order to get ready. The good weather outside meant that they would definitely be spending most of their time at the new water park, which meant that she would be wearing no make-up. Shallow as it was, she never went anywhere without some kind of make-up on. The thought of no make-up made her cranky.

Toya's first comment when he picked her up had been, "You look amazing with no make-up on." For reasons he did not understand that only made her crankier.

* * *

Toya and Shay met up with Numair and Megan at the entrance of the new water park in Great America. The girls were both equally surprised when Numair and Toya hugged one another instead of just shaking each other. The boys just smirked at their girls.

"Meg, I do believe that we are missing something here," Shay commented with her hands on her hips.

"Same here," Megan mimicked her friend as a joke. The red head reached over and punched her lightly in the shoulder. Megan grabbed her arm and said, "Ow… that hurt! Jerk."

"Bitch," the red head snapped back playfully.

"Anyway," Numair interrupted their playful banter.

"Hon, how do you know Toya?" Megan questioned. "Or rather, do you even know Toya?"

"Of course I know Toya! I do not hug random men!" the dark haired man protested. The auburn haired girl giggled at her boyfriend's indignation. "I do know Toya! We went to finishing school together before college."

"Isn't finishing school like a girls thing?" Shay asked curiously. She looked Toya over head to toe. She took in the luscious red hair, the sad emerald eyes, the thin face, and the graceful stature that he had. "Yep, I do see the feminine side. Which somehow I find just as attractive as the rest of you."

"I could say something right there," Toya replied, wrapping his arms around her slender waist and kissing her forehead tenderly. Shay closed her eyes and leaned into his firm stomach. When she opened her eyes again, she saw that both Numair and Megan were giving them a look that clearly said something like, _Aww!_

She blushed and pulled away.

"Okay, boys and girl," Shay coughed into her hand. "Let's get a move on before this place closes! I want to swim!"

"Summer baby—"

"That's where I knew the name Toya from!" Megan exclaimed suddenly. All three looked at her with slightly shock on their faces. Passer-bys took a small second to stare at her before continuing on their way.

"Meggie?" Numair gently put a hand on her shoulder. His other hand turned her chin upward so he could look clearly into her beautifully colored eyes. "Is everything okay?"

"No! I mean, yeah, it is!" she shook her head in her own confusion. "No, it's just that yesterday I was telling Shay that the name Toya sounded familiar. Now I know from where. You have mentioned his name once before when we were talking about your friends."

"Oh," Shay muttered, slightly hoping for a juicier story than just that. Numair chuckled and leaned down to kiss her passionately on the lips.

"Crazy as always, that's why I love you," he whispered into her ear, his breath hot on her cheek. She smiled and turned a lovely shade of pink.

"Okay… let's get going!" Shay practically shouted. She took Toya by the hand and took Megan by the wrist and dragged the two of them away, leaving Numair to struggle to keep up with her enthusiasm.

* * *

Fifteen minutes later she stood in a hot two-piece swimsuit that did not leave much to the imagination. Her red hair was pinned up with chopsticks with hair framing her thin face. A pair of white sandals and a black towel were her accessories. Beside her, Megan stood in an equally revealing emerald swimsuit that she had bought on a shopping trip reluctantly. It had been a swimsuit that Shay practically threatened her into buying. Her hair was braided and pulled over her left shoulder. A green towel and green flip-flops were her personal accessories. The rest of their clothes had been locked away safely in a locker along with their small backpacks.

They waited a bit impatiently by the large wave pool's side for the boys to come meet up with them. The shouting and screaming of little children as they let the water splash in their faces and on their middle filled the girls' ears. They also picked up on the laughing of parents as they held up their kids in the deeper ends of the wave pool. The pool started out as a walk in, no-depth pool, and walked out to five feet and six inches of water. A waterfall at the end as well as a special machine helped to create a wave effect. The longer they went on, the bigger the waves were.

Although they had only been there for fifteen minutes, the girls loved the place already. It had a fun and lively atmosphere to it. The only thing that could have made the day all the better was if their boys would hurry up and join them.

"Sheesh, where are they?" Shay complained, playing with the strap of her swimsuit.

"They're in the locker room," Megan responded, pointing to a yellow shack near the entrance.

"They're taking forever!" the red head exclaimed. "I still want to swim."

"Really? I didn't know that," the auburn haired girl said sarcastically. She chuckled at her own joke.

"Oh… my… god! They look… gorgeous…" Shay was nearly drooling. Megan looked in the direction that she was staring and was equally enthralled. The boys were casually walking toward them, deep in conversation. Numair appeared scrumdiliumptious in his navy swim trunks with two white stripes on either side. He held two white towels in his hands, one for Toya and one for himself. The sun shined off his already tanned chest. Beside him, Toya wore a white tank top over black swim trunks. The shirt clung to his smooth chest and the trunks hugged his thin waist. Both girls swooned over the handsome—no, gorgeous looks of their men.

"Hello, ladies," Numair flashed Megan a brilliant smile that made her weak in the knees. She grinned shyly and took his outstretched hand.

"What took you tow so long?" Shay asked as Toya kissed her gently on the cheek. "It felt like forever."

"You missed me," he smiled slightly. Once again, she noticed how the smile, although he looked happy to be with her, the happiness of the smile did not touch his eyes. They remained as sad as ever. Standing nearby, Numair gave her a quizzical look at the serious expression on her face. She laughed it off and pulled away from Toya.

"C'mon let's get all wet and wild!" she cried out. She grabbed all the towels, threw them over a bunch of the sun chairs, and dragged Toya over to the water's edge. "C'mon, you two, let's go! Let's go! Let's go, let's go, let's go!"

"You think she is a bit excited?" Numair asked Megan as they ran to catch up with her.

"Not in the least!" the auburn haired girl replied. She leaned down, scooped up a handful of water, and flung water at him. She missed and hit Shay instead. Shay shrieked and the two indulged themselves in a battle that soon turned into a war between the couples.

An hour later, they floated leisurely with Toya catching Shay occasionally when she slipped underneath a wave here and there. They made small talk, but mostly avoided swallowing water. They merely floated in the water and enjoyed each other's company when…

"BONZAI!!!" a very familiar voice shouted. Someone had climbed the rocks by the deep end and readied himself to jump. "LOOK OUT BELOW!"

Several people screamed as he jumped off the rocks and did a cannon ball right into the water, his knees tucked into his chest. The air was tense as he hit the water with a loud splash. People began to converse worriedly as the boy did not surface. Minutes passed before…

"WHOO-HOO!" he shouted as he surfaced. He sputtered on water as it rolled into his mouth leisurely.

"Oh my God, Shay, that's Riley!" Megan exclaimed, standing on her feet and pulling away from Numair's loving embrace.

"And where there's a Riley, there's a…" the red head turned to Megan with a bright smile.

"Where there's a Riley, there's a Jenna!" the auburn haired girl grinned back. Confused, Numair merely shrugged at Toya.

"Let's go Jenna hunting!" Shay said slyly. The two girls waded further into the deeper end of the pool just in time to see Riley swim over to their ebony haired girlfriend and throw his arms around her neck from behind. He rubbed his cheek against hers affectionately.

"Jenna! Riley!" Megan and Shay hollered together, waving their arms madly in the air.

"Hey, guys!" Jenna shouted. "What are you doing here?"

"Getting to know Shay's new boyfriend," the auburn haired girl teased.

"Ooh! Shay's got a new boyfriend! Since when?" the ebony haired girl pulled both girls in for a big hug. The action threw them off balance and sent them tumbling into the water. Shay was the first to come up, spitting out water and swearing a mile a minute. Frightened, Riley grabbed Jenna around the waist and pulled her up out of the water. Megan, on the other hand, made a graceful exit from the underside of the water. She brushed her wet hair back from her face and smiled widely.

"Oh, yeah, leave it to you to look like the mermaid," Shay snapped playfully. "I'm supposed to be Ariel, _the mermaid_, here, but you pull it off better, desert girl."

"Hey, Jasmine is cooler, but you just suck at swimming," Megan comment haughtily, sticking her nose up in the air.

"Get some ice, baby, cause you just got burned!" Riley claimed, fanning Shay joking as if to put out a fire. She slapped his hand away. Swooning, he held his hand to his chest and cuddled against Jenna's side. Awkwardly, she patted the top of his head reassuringly. He stuck out his tongue at Shay, which she only returned with a hard glare.

"Anyway," Jenna started. "Let's hear about the new boy, Shay!"

"_Or_, how about you just meet him," the auburn haired girl laughed as she began to lead Jenna and Riley away.

Shay brought up the rear saying, "But he's not my boyfriend, I swear!"

"If he isn't now, I'm sure he will be!" came Megan's answer.

"Hello, honey," Numair planted a chaste kiss on his girlfriend's lips as she came up to the two boys.

"Boys, I would like you to meet—" Megan began, but never finished because she was interrupted as Riley threw himself at Toya, flinging his arms around the young man's neck. She muttered, "I'm taking it you know him, Riley."

"Toya!" he practically shrieked. "I haven't seen you in forever."

"Okay, Riley," Shay said, dragging Riley off of Toya. Toya reached up and rubbed the left side of his chest, hiding a wince of pain. "I get it that Numair and Toya went to finishing school together, but you? You _never_ went to finishing school; I know that for a fact. How do you know Toya? And do you know Numair?"

"Yes, Shay, I know Numair," Riley replied sarcastically. "And, yes, I know Toya."

"I asked how," she stood waist-high in water with the liquid cascading down her perky breasts. Toya felt an unusual ache build in his swim trunks, something he had not felt for a girl in a long time.

"Well, I actually met them randomly over a car accident," Riley stumbled over his words. He scratched the back of his head as he attempted to come up with a fake story of how they met. Numair and Toya would kill him if the girls found out the real story. "I almost hit them one day downtown with my Porsche."

"His Porsche is pretty," Jenna swooned. "He named it after me! It's called Snow White!"

"He has a black Porsche named Snow White?" Numair raised an eyebrow. Megan leaned over and kissed his brow, finding the action very sexy.

"How weird," Toya added questionably. Shay frowned because he was still rubbing his chest as if it was hurting her.

"Does your chest hurt?" she asked him, changing the subject from Riley's car to Toya. "Because if it does…"

"I am fine," Toya responded a tad harshly. He dropped his hand. "Numair punched me."

"What?!" the midnight haired young man exclaimed. "I did not!"

"Yes, you did," the red head looked him over blankly.

"Boys, do you need a time out?" Jenna asked. Riley laughed and put an arm around her shoulder, pulling her close. "I think someone needs a time out."

That brought a laugh from the whole group. They laughed and smiled together and instantly a clique was formed.

"Ugh, I cannot take anymore of this water," Shay began trotting to the beach area. "I'm going to tan. Anyone who wants to come with me—"

"Hey, instead of you tanning, let's do lunch," Megan suggested. "Seeing as how we're all here, that is."

"Sure why not, I don't mind in the least. I'm hungry, you guys?" she agreed.

* * *

An hour later they were curled up on the beach area, each couple wrapped in each other's arms as they nibbled on sandwiches. The noise around them seemed to be superfluous as they chatted admirably among themselves. Riley made it a point to relive for the whole group how he and Jenna had met one another. That story led to each couple reliving in their own way of how they had met one another. Riley and Jenna had met several times in the same coffee shop before he got up the nerve to ask her what her name was. Numair and Megan had met in the club where Megan sang; Numair quickly becoming the beautifully talented woman's greatest fan. And of course Toya and Shay had met when she fell into him on the bus downtown and then again on the subway train. After happily telling their stories, they decided to tell more stories of how each of the girls met one another and the same with how each of the boys met one another. Shay and Megan worked together at Cerulean Galaxy, the club where Megan sang and Shay's band played on various nights. Megan and Jenna went to the same school together and had been roommates. Shay and Jenna met thanks to Megan introducing them to one another. Numair and Toya went to the same finishing school together where they had been grade rivals right up until graduation. And of course Riley had met Numair and Toya when he almost hit them one-day downtown with his Porsche.

"Man, this is way too much fn!" Riley exclaimed, stretching his arms up in the air. "We've got to do this more often."

"Between school—" Shay started

"And singing and band practice," Megan added.

"And don't forget my photography job!" Jenna piped in.

"Work," Numair decided to add as well.

"And traveling," Toya shrugged.

"Yeah, between all of that, Riley," Shay worked to finish her sentence. "It is so not likely that this is going to become a common occurrence."

"Aw man!" he huffed. "That sucks. I've got nothing to do with my time."

"You lazy bum," Numair laughed. "You've always got school."

"And you have a job," the red haired young man reminded him.

"And don't forget Jenna," Megan said.

"Yeah! Don't forget little ol' me!" the ebony haired girl smiled widely. He leaned in and closed his mouth over hers. Megan turned toward Shay and mouthed "_They're so cute together!_" Shay did not have a clue as to what she said so she just nodded in agreement. Megan was not the best at mouthing words.

"Wait, you are in a band?" Toya questioned his girl.

"Yeah, and you travel? A lot? I hope not," Shay responded.

"Well, yes, I work internationally," he replied.

"Boy, how well do you two know each other?" Riley demanded, leaning forward to grab a piece of watermelon. He popped it in his mouth with ease.

"Not well," they both answered at the same moment. It brought a smile to both of their faces and Shay managed a bright blush. The group laughed at them… or with them preferably.

"Ooh! Let's go on the Devil's Storm!" Jenna exclaimed. Numair just looked at her.

"The _what_?" he blinked several times and leaned forward to hear her better.

"The Devil's Storm!" she smiled brightly. "It's the roller coaster at the start of the park! C'mon it'll be fun!"

"Yeah, I'd like to go," Megan agreed.

"If you want," Numair motioned toward where Shay and Toya were cuddled comfortably in one another's embrace. He kissed her temple protectively.

"Do not look at me that way, Numair. I am not going," he said. "I do not _do_ heights."

"It'll be fun," Jenna tried to coax.

"No."

"If he stays, then I stay," Shay told them. "Besides, I agree with him on the height issue. I don't like heights in the least and that thing was huge. Sorry, Jen."

"You can still go," the red haired young man said to the rest of the group. They all exchanged looks until Riley started making weird faces at Numair, one of them a kissy-face. A couple minutes later, Riley, Jenna, Numair, and Megan were all headed off the beach and to the long line of the roller coaster. Shay and Toya decided that instead of sitting around and doing nothing, they would take a walk along the sand seeing as how most of the wave pool was clearing out.

They walked together in silence, fingers laced through one another and palms starting to sweat in the heat. Without warning, he stopped moving and just spun her around so she was facing him. Subconsciously with his free hand, he rubbed at his chest. Sensing his distress, Shay reached up and took his other hand in hers and kissed his knuckles gently.

"Sharon…" he whispered because they were so close. She winced at hearing her real name. "Sharon…"

"Yes?"

"May I kiss you…?" Toya asked quietly. Her breath caught in her throat and she barely felt herself give the slightest of nods. He leaned in, lips hovering over hers, waiting for her approval. Almost instinctively, she moved the rest of the way in. The kiss was tender, soft, and barely a kiss at all. It was like kissing clouds… sweet clouds that smelled of lavender. The flicking of his tongue across her lower lip asked for an entryway.

Without a worry in the world, she complied.


End file.
